Public Zone 公開區 > Travelogues 遊記相薄
Cambodia 柬埔寨 (21-25 Nov 2002)
chin:
The view of Angkor Wat as we go in (top picture) and as we leave (bottom picture).
The middle courtyard of the Angkor Wat temple can only be reached by very very steep stairs. Each step is maybe 6" wide and 18" high or 70 degree. Did the King really go up there to worship?
Since we are quite ignorant of Hindu mythology, the crafting on the walls inside Angkor Wat does not mean much to us.
The best view of Angkor Wat is in a distant, with a body of water between you and the structures. The locals know it best, as the day ends, many local people would picnic in the park right outside the Angkor Wat moat.
chin:
There are monks staying inside the Angkor Wat. Some of them (with dubious authenticity) would approach tourists as guides and ask for money.
One such monk (not any one pictured here) kept followed us and offered advises. At the end he asked for US$10 to "sponsor his study of English". When I offered only $5, he was visibly unhappy. I shouldn't have given him any money, for his lame excuses & ungratefulness.
chin:
Worshippers at the inner most (and highest) courtyard of Angkor Wat.
Almost all old statues are headless, stolen by the foreign "explorers", "naturalists", colonists, and probably greater number of locals who sell them to dealers who then sell to "art collectors" and museums. Also lots of Buddha heads were taken off by the Hinduism kings.
One of the most sadly famous headless statue is Shiva & his wife. The wife was beheaded while under custody of the national museum in Phnom Penh.
chin:
Ta Prohm, the first temple King Jayavarman VII built and dedicated to his mother, is well photographed for the over grown vegetations.
What happened was after the temple was abandoned, some seeds were brought to the roof by bird drops or other means. The seeds then take root and grew. After few hundred years, we see what we see now.
Ta Prohm is only cleared enough for a path for visitors, and minimal structural reinforcement to prevent further deteriorations. Most of the temple is still covered by fallen stones and roots.
The scene is eerie yet beautiful in its own way, and definitely a tribute to the forces of nature.
chin:
Another tree captured another building.
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